


Lake-Town Secrets

by Resacon1990



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Fluff, He ships the Bagginshield, Hobbit Kink Meme, Laketown, M/M, Nori is a Stalker, Nori's POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-24
Updated: 2014-09-24
Packaged: 2018-02-18 15:00:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2352542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Resacon1990/pseuds/Resacon1990
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It's my turn to save you, Master Baggins," Thorin disagrees, but Bilbo shakes his head and leans forward to surprise Thorin, and Nori, by kissing Thorin's cheek shyly.</p>
<p>"You've already saved me, Thorin," he points out with a coy smile, "plenty of times."</p>
<p>Fill for Hobbit Kink Meme</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lake-Town Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a Kink Meme Post [here](http://hobbit-kink.livejournal.com/13429.html?thread=24276341).
> 
>   **Original Post:**
>
>> Something based on this picture
>> 
>> http://heirsofdurin.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-martin-freeman-richard-armitage.jpg
>> 
>> I'm interested in your interpretation of what Nori in the background is thinking as he watches Thorin and Bilbo. Really, could be anything. Cracky, serious, UST, jealousy, something darker? You can go dark as you want if it goes in that direction. Any pairing (or threesome) is fine but not necessary.  
> 
> 
> All mistakes are my own :) 

Nori has learnt he must be quiet. 

His job is that of observation, of listening, and he's always found that it's harder to see and hear when he's not paying attention. Dori knows him as the energetic and talkative younger brother, Ori knows him as the silent and barely around older brother, and Nori knows himself as… well _the thief_ , as Dwalin so politely puts it.

It's only because of his innate ability to be quiet, for his footsteps to make not a noise, for his presence to go unseen, that he catches the moment between their Hobbit and their King.

They look awful with their shoddily braided hair, the stench of fish surrounding them in clouds, their soaked clothes hanging from their bodies like rags. Nori's felt worse, _looked_ worse, but the way Master Baggins is dragging his abused feet as he walks and the slumped shoulders of most of the Company as they trail like _children_ behind the Bargeman makes Nori think that he might be the only one.

Of course, nothing is worse though when the Bargeman's son appears and tells them the house is being _watched_ of all things, and he sees the panic set on the Bargeman's face before he's hustling them over to an overhanging in a darkened corner to hide them under as he tells them to _stay put_.

He sees mutiny on Dwalin's face, and even Gloin looks ready to do something close to bodily harm, but the Bargeman doesn't seem to care as he disappears behind his son, and Thorin has to reach out to place his hands on their arms to calm them down.

The Bargeman is only gone for a short time, but it's enough for the Company to settle down on barrels and fishnets with grumbles and grunts. Nori doesn't though, he helps a sore Ori to perch on a large barrel and even convinces Dori into taking a moments rest on a bunched up bundle of nets, but he chooses not to sit despite the fact that the space beside Bofur looks very inviting. 

Instead he watches as Master Baggins ignores the Bargeman's wishes, something Nori would never have thought _Master Baggins_ would do, and subtly walks towards the corner of the next-door building, just out of sight of the Company, to glance out at the people crowding the street. He decides to follow at a snails pace, when Thorin glances over them all before approaching their Hobbit, filled with the curiosity of just _what_ will happen between the two now that Master Baggins has saved Thorin's life _twice_.

A good thing Thorin followed Master Baggins too, Nori notes as he sneaks behind them in time to catch Thorin grabbing Master Baggins's arm in a vice-like grip and pull him back from where he'd almost stepped too far out of cover.

"Careful, Master Baggins," Thorin rumbles, and Nori almost snorts aloud at how weird it is that Thorin literally _rumbles_ , "if you step too far you may be seen."

"Sorry," Master Baggins apologizes, "I was just… there's so many people and they're all so big… how do you not feel intimidated?"

Thorin looks out over the people with Master Baggins again, his face one of resignation to Bilbo's confusion, and he nods his head sharply.

"I have lived in the world of Men before, Master Baggins," Thorin explains, "I have lived with them for a great number of years. You get used to their attitudes and intimidation, until the only reminder you have of them being bigger is that of the bastards in taverns who tower over you with insults."

"That's horrible."

"That's life, Master Baggins," Thorin snorts, and Bilbo looks horrified before he gives Thorin an attempt at a cheerful smile that Nori sees doesn't reach his eyes.

They maintain eye contact long enough that Nori begins to feel uncomfortable watching them, the curiosity of his not strong enough for him to stand there observing the two just _looking_ at one another. If he wants to see that, he merely just has to look at them whenever they settle down for camp and try not to gag at the unrequited feelings of love they both tried to convey over stares.

Of course, Nori is a cynical old man, according to Bofur, and just as he turns away with the thought of joining said dwarf he hears Thorin pipe up into the silence.

"You saved my life, again, Master Baggins," he says, and Nori turns around in time to catch Master Baggins blush and look at his feet.

"It… it was nothing-"

"Saving my life is no small thing," Thorin continues, and he places his other hand under Master Baggins's chin to make him look up and meet Thorin's eyes, " _Bilbo_."

Master Baggins stares up at him, the blush still covering his cheeks as he gives Thorin a shy smile. "Of course not," he says softly, "I don't believe I could ever think that."

It's only when Thorin gives Master Baggins a sweet smile that Nori didn't even think he was _capable_ of giving, does Nori begins to think that, for once, he's intruding. He's so close to them now, so much so he's surprised they don't see him out of their peripherals, but they're so wrapped up in one another that he's not so surprised as well.

He expects them to embrace, to kiss, to do something that would make his teeth rot, but Master Baggins only cups Thorin's cheek and strokes it softly once before he drops his hand to rest on Thorin's arm.

"I think we should call it even now," Master Baggins says as he squeezes Thorin's forearm, "I don't think I can take seeing you in another perilous situation."

"It's my turn to save you, Master Baggins," Thorin disagrees, but Bilbo shakes his head and leans forward to surprise Thorin, and Nori, by kissing Thorin's cheek shyly.

"You've already saved me, Thorin," he points out with a coy smile, "plenty of times."

Thorin's mouth is opening and closing in a speechless way, and Nori decides then and there that he is well and truly intruding on them, rotten teeth and all. He backtracks quickly but quietly, determined not to ruin the moment between the two in front of him, and the last thing he sees before he slips away is Thorin's blinding smile as he tugs Master Baggins closer.

"You're smiling," Bofur says when Nori joins him in the still saved seat, "who died?"

"Shut up, Bofur," Nori chastises, but Bofur just laughs as he swings an arm over Nori's shoulder, jostling him enough that he thinks it's quite possible that Bofur 'knocked' the memory of Thorin and Master Baggins from his mind.

Or, that's what he tells Balin when the old man asks him later. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, OP! I adore Nori, and I think this was the best thing to write :) 
> 
> [my tumblr (if you wanna :D)](http://resacon1990.tumblr.com/)


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